The present invention relates to a system for automatically diagnosing, maintaining and reporting the performance and safety condition of various industrial and transportation devices such as remote power generation or pumping equipment and on- or off-highway vehicles and the like (hereinafter collectively referred to as xe2x80x9capparatusxe2x80x9d). More specifically, this invention relates to a cost effective system for diagnosing and maintaining apparatus fluids and components that are lost, consumed or deteriorate during apparatus use, and for documenting and reporting present apparatus condition and maintenance performed in a manner that can allow failed or failing apparatus systems or components to be identified and repairs to be scheduled, that can certify the apparatus"" regulatory compliance, that can allow apparatus, apparatus sub-system, or apparatus operator performance to be optimized, or that can allow managing the cost of apparatus operation.
Periodic inspections and maintenance is essential for the proper operation and long service life of various apparatus. Inspections can include for example monitoring fluid levels such as engine oil, gear oils, chassis lubricant, coolant, windshield washer, brake and tire-air, as well as monitoring wear components such as brakes and tires, and monitoring other components such as filters and lights that deteriorate or fail due to age or use. Maintenance can include replenishment of consumed or lost fluids, replacement of used fluids, and renewal of items such as cleaning fluid filters for improved apparatus performance and/or longer apparatus life. As used herein, xe2x80x9cfluid(s)xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cmaintenance fluid(s)xe2x80x9d means any non-fuel fluid that can flow through a conduit including liquids, gases, semi-solids, electric current and fine particulates. Examples of liquids are engine oil, grease lubricant, metalworking fluid, hydraulic fluid, coolant, transmission fluid, brake fluid, and cleaning fluid. Examples of gases are air, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and refrigerant. Examples of semi-solids are greases. Examples of fine particles are abrasives.
These periodic inspection and maintenance requirements are considered by most to be, at the very least, an inconvenience, and more typically, an unwanted burden of apparatus operation or ownership that add significantly to operating costs. Costs incurred are both direct, (e.g., labor, records keeping and materials, including any waste disposal, of the inspection and maintenance process) and indirect (e.g., lost productivity while the apparatus is being inspected and maintained). In addition to being an unwanted burden to the apparatus owner or operator, many maintenance items, especially those associated with fluids maintenance, can be an environmental burden if the owner or operator does not properly dispose of the used fluids and other maintenance items.
A variety of methods and systems have been disclosed that attempt to minimize the fluid inspection and maintenance burden. One approach is to simply provide the apparatus operator or maintenance provider with a better diagnosis of when maintenance or inspection is required. For transportation apparatus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,768, Schwartz et al., July 1989, discloses a system and method for indicating the remaining useful life of engine oil during engine operation based on engine operating parameters. U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,201, DeGraaf, October 1998, discloses a navigation system that displays service reminders at user-defined intervals, and directions to a vehicle service location. A limitation of simply providing information as to when to perform the maintenance or inspection is that this alone does little to relieve the burden of actually performing the maintenance or inspection.
Another approach to minimizing the fluid inspection and maintenance burden is the use of off-apparatus methods and systems to reduce the time or the inconvenience of the fluid inspection and maintenance operations.
For transportation apparatus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,624, Peterson, February 1975, discloses a gasoline service lane for a gas station with a recessed service pit that allows a service technician to perform work under the vehicle while the vehicle is being refueled. U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,372, Edward et al., July 1998, discloses an automated system for evacuating used fluid from a fluid receptacle, such as the oil sump of an internal combustion engine, and replenishing with fresh fluid. U.S. Pat. No. 5,885,940, Sumimoto, March 1999, discloses a method for total or partial exchange of lubricant oil when a vehicle stops at a gas station for refueling. Stand-alone quick oil-change facilities also fall into this category of off-apparatus methods and systems. Known art in this off-apparatus approach, in general, reduces the time and, in some cases, the inconvenience of apparatus maintenance and/or inspection. These off-apparatus service methods and systems, however, do not remove the operator or service technician burden of scheduling time for when the maintenance or inspection is to be performed. Nor do they provide a convenient means of tracking and recording the service details for individual apparatus that have service performed at a multitude of locations during the apparatus"" operational life.
Another approach to minimizing the inspection and maintenance burden is the use of on-apparatus methods and systems. U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,882, Meuer et al., November 1990, discloses a central lubricating installation that automatically lubricates components at regular intervals and varies the pumping time per each grease application based on the starting current of the pump motor. For transportation apparatus, U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,339, Graham et al., May 1998, discloses an on-apparatus method and system for automatically replacing an engine""s used lubricating oil with fresh oil during engine operation based on operating conditions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,318, Boyle et al., October 1999, discloses a system and method for sensing the quality of an engine""s lubrication oil to diagnose potential engine failure and to automatically replace used oil with fresh oil to maintain oil quality.
In addition, commercial systems are available that provide real-time on-vehicle inspection of tire pressure, brake wear, lighting failure and others to alert the operator or a service technician when service or repair is needed. While on-apparatus approaches potentially offer the best solution to fluid maintenance and inspection burdens, these systems also create other ownership burdens. On-apparatus systems have relatively high cost and, particularly those that maintain fluids, can have large space requirements for reservoirs, pumps and other needed equipment. This creates the burden of substantially higher apparatus cost, which may be acceptable for mission critical or high-value equipment or apparatus, but is unacceptable or not practical for many apparatus. In addition, for on-apparatus fluids maintenance systems, maintenance is not fully eliminated, since the operator or service technician must still fill fresh fluid reservoirs and, in some cases, empty used fluid reservoirs on a regular basis.
Another limitation of on-board systems used with mobile equipment or apparatus is that timely reporting of the system""s outputs or actions requires a costly remote communication system that downloads the information, or requires the inconvenience of the apparatus frequently connecting to specialized equipment that communicates with the systems. A timely download of the information is particularly important for apparatus serviced by a central maintenance function that optimizes apparatus performance through analysis of performance, safety and maintenance data.
Another approach to minimizing the fluid inspection and maintenance burden that reduces the cost and space requirements of on-apparatus solutions is the use of on-apparatus/off-apparatus methods and systems. This approach places most of the costly and bulky maintenance and inspection equipment in a central location that services a multitude of apparatus, and places only apparatus-specific maintenance and inspection equipment on the individual apparatus. For transportation apparatus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,621,938, Beattie, November 1971, discloses a lubricating system for applying grease to apparatus using an off-apparatus pump and reservoir that connects at a single point to an on-apparatus network that distributes the grease to individual components. The Beattie invention, however, does not determine the precise amount of grease to apply to individual apparatus, nor does the system record how much grease is applied.
Further for transportation apparatus, U.S. Pat. No. 2,966,248, Armbruster, December 1960, discloses a system with an on-apparatus general supply port that allows the apparatus operator, in one operation, to purchase fuel and engine oil and to receive other maintenance fluids such as air, water, distilled water, and grease for free. This system also provides for charging the apparatus"" battery during fluid purchase, and automatically photographing the apparatus"" license numbers to record apparatus use of the system. While this system provides the convenience of replenishing apparatus fluids in one location, the system does not allow for diagnosing fluid quality, maintaining fluid quality by exchanging fresh for used fluids, diagnosing the apparatus"" performance or safety condition, renewing fluid filters, and documenting and reporting the actual maintenance provided.
The known prior art does not provide a complete, cost-effective system for diagnosing and maintaining a wide range of fluid/apparatus performance and safety issues, and for documenting and reporting current fluid/apparatus performance condition and maintenance actions performed in a timely manner. The known prior art has not changed the current maintenance paradigm in a manner that significantly reduces the overall apparatus ownership inconvenience and burden.
The present invention relates to a cost-effective system that allows apparatus maintenance and inspection operations and apparatus information transfer to occur automatically and simultaneously, with little additional effort or time, during apparatus refueling to reduce the inconvenience and burden of apparatus ownership.
One feature of the invention is to document the apparatus maintenance and inspection and to report the apparatus"" current performance and safety condition and the maintenance performed during refueling.
Another feature of the invention is that the apparatus diagnostics, maintenance and reporting functions can be tailored to the needs of an individual apparatus, or of an apparatus owner or operator.
Another feature of the invention is that only those on-apparatus components/sub-systems that can be cost justified are used, based on a real-time operator or service-provider need-to-know, or that are apparatus specific for sensing and/or for communicating information or fluids.
Another feature of the invention is that the majority of the costly, bulky, or fluid containing components/sub-systems for apparatus diagnosis, maintenance and reporting are located at a fuel service location for use by a multitude of apparatus to reduce per-apparatus cost.
Another feature of the invention is that the off-apparatus components/sub-systems can be placed in a controlled, less harsh, operating environment with easier serviceability than if the components/sub-systems were mounted on the apparatus.
Another feature of the invention is that off-apparatus maintenance sub-systems can replenish or replace apparatus fluids during refueling to maintain the quality or level of the fluids.
Another feature of the invention is that the fluid maintenance system can renew contaminant removal components, such as filters, by backflushing either with used non-fuel fluids as they are removed during the maintenance operation, or with specific cleaning or renewing fluids to maintain the operation of the contaminant removal components.
Another feature of the invention is that the maintenance system can renew the apparatus"" exterior finish and appearance by spraying the apparatus with cleaning and/or protective fluid(s).
Another feature of the invention is that all fluids maintained or used in accordance with the invention are handled at the fuel service location where proper fluid handling practices are already in place for fluids that have potential hazard for the environment.
Another feature of the invention is that apparatus performance or safety condition diagnosis can be based on downloaded on-apparatus sensors or systems output, can be determined by off-apparatus sensors or systems, or can be determined based on algorithms that use a variety of on- and/or off-apparatus inputs.
Another feature of the invention is that the same information communication means, used to communicate apparatus performance, safety and maintenance information, can be used to download additional information from or upload additional information to the apparatus including for example apparatus content, logistics, driver performance and personal communications.
Another feature of the invention is that, while desirable for apparatus with on-apparatus maintenance or inspection sub-systems to always use a fuel service location with off-apparatus sub-systems of the invention, when necessary, and if properly equipped, the apparatus can, if necessary, use fuel service locations that do not have the off-apparatus sub-systems.
Another feature of the invention is that, when refueling is completed, the apparatus operator or fuel service location technician can be given a report detailing complete performance and safety condition of the apparatus.
Another feature of the invention is that, when refueling is completed, the apparatus operator or fuel service location technician can be given a report detailing only those issues that require immediate attention, or containing information showing the apparatus"" regulatory compliance.
Another feature of the invention is that reports detailing the performance and safety condition of the apparatus and the maintenance performed during refueling can be used in a variety of ways, for example:
To alert a service provider to schedule repair/maintenance that is not provided at the fuel service location. p1 To provide data to a service provider for optimizing apparatus, apparatus sub-system or operator performance.
To provide manufacturers a maintenance history of items returned for warranty repair or replacement.
To provide manufacturer real-world performance and maintenance information for optimizing apparatus or apparatus sub-system design and manufacture.
To allow complete analysis of the cost of apparatus operation.
To allow information to be uploaded to the apparatus as either a temporary or permanent record of the apparatus"" performance and safety condition and maintenance history.
To alert a regulatory enforcement agency if the apparatus is out of compliance.
The foregoing and other aspects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description made with reference to the drawings.